The invention relates to a dispenser for dischargeable media, preferably containing at least one active pharmaceutical substance and packed in portioned manner in the storage chambers of a storage means, as well as a conveying device for the supply of the storage means. The medium can be constituted by all types of flowable media, which can be pulverulent, gaseous and/or liquid. For dosing, storage, hygienic and/or shelf life reasons, it can be advantageous to pack the medium in portioned form in storage chambers, each storage chamber containing a predetermined medium quantity. This quantity preferably corresponds to the quantity to be discharged when applying or administering the medium. The medium can in particular contain an active pharmaceutical substance, e.g. an analgesic or anti-migraine agent, but also other active substances or active substance combinations, which are preferably administered to the patient by nasal application of the medium.
A dispenser according to the prior art can e.g. be gathered from DE 197 04 849 A1. This document describes a dispenser for discharging a medium, which preferably contains at least one active pharmaceutical substance, from a storage chamber of a storage means, the medium being packed in portioned form in the storage chamber. To this end the dispenser has a punch, which is introduceable into the storage chamber.
A disadvantage which occurs in this connection is that the making available of the next storage chamber takes place by an actuation of the dispenser, which differs from the actuation for discharging the medium from the storage chamber. Thus, a two-part actuation of the dispenser is necessary. This is hardly compatible with a one-handed operation of the dispenser.
Moreover, in the case of a dispenser with a revolver or turret-like making available of the storage chambers, it is not ensured that the operator does not accidentally attempt to discharge the medium from an already emptied storage chamber. It is also not ensured that on actuation for making available the following, not yet emptied storage chamber, in actual fact the next available storage chamber is made available, that no storage chamber is skipped and consequently its content is not discharged.
The problem of the invention is to provide a dispenser which can be operated with one hand and which is able to reliably discharge medium kept ready in storage chambers.
On the basis of the dispenser according to the preamble, the invention solves this problem by the features of the independent claims.
A dispenser according to the invention is intended to discharge medium packed in portionwise manner in storage chambers of a storage means and preferably containing at least one active pharmaceutical substance. For this purpose the dispenser has a punch introduceable into the storage chambers. According to the invention an actuating means is provided for the dispenser. An actuation of the actuation means in the sense of performing a discharge process brings about both the positioning of a storage chamber with respect to the punch and the discharge of the medium from the storage chamber.
It is advantageous if in the actuation of the actuating means there is firstly a making available of the next, filled storage chamber, followed by the discharge of the medium from said storage chamber.
It is also advantageous to subdivide the process of discharging the medium from the storage chamber into two parts and during the first part a storage element is pretensioned and during the second actuating part the medium is actually discharged, the storage element being relaxed. Advantageously the storage element is in particular a pump chamber in which, during the first actuating part, an overpressure is built up. It is particularly advantageous if the pump chamber is sealed by an operable valve, which is operated in the opening sense on passing from the first to the second operating part. It is also advantageous if the transition from the first to the second operating part of the medium discharge takes place in path-dependent manner with respect to the actuating path of the actuating means. It is particularly advantageous if the medium is discharged by blowing out by means of the fluid flowing from the pump chamber.
Advantageously the punch has at least one first flow channel for the discharge of the medium from a storage chamber of the storage means.
It is also advantageous if the punch has at least one second flow channel for the supply of fluid from the pump chamber to the storage chamber. It is particularly advantageous if the punch simultaneously constitutes an operating element for the valve sealing the pump chamber. According to a development the punch is constructed in such a way that the second flow channel surrounds in annular manner the first flow channel. As a result of this configuration the fluid on all sides flows uniformly along the outer edge of the storage chamber, meets in the centre at the bottom of the storage chamber and then escapes via the first flow channel whilst entraining the medium to be discharged. This ensures a good discharge.
A conveying device for a storage means with storage chambers in accordance with the present invention is formed by a conveying drum provided on its circumferential surface with receptacles for in each case one storage means.
According to an advantageous development of the invention there is a twist preventer acting on the conveying drum. The twist preventer is constructed in such a way that as a result of its action a receptacle for a storage chamber of the storage means is kept in its aligned position with respect to the punch.
Advantageously a reverse preventer is constructed on the dispenser, which acts on the conveying drum and which is designed in such a way that it allows a rotary movement of the conveying drum in a conveying direction and prevents a rotary movement counter to the conveying direction.
According to an advantageous development the conveying drum is provided on its end face with dogs. Preferably with each receptacle on the circumferential surface of the conveying drum is associated endwise a dog. The actuating means can be constituted by a hook blade, which engages behind the dog and consequently takes over the conveying of the conveying drum by one storage chamber. During the return movement of the hook blade, the latter can be moved past the dogs in axially displaced manner with respect to the conveying drum. This can take place both through a corresponding guide crank for the hook blade and also in that the dogs are elastically fixed to the conveying drum and during the return movement can be displaced from the movement area by the hook blade. It is also advantageous if the actuating means has at least one slide acting on the dogs. According to an advantageous development the slide can be simultaneously constructed as a twist preventer. Advantageously it can also be constructed as a reverse preventer.
It is also advantageous if the slide is so displaceable and guided by means of the actuating means that it is moved along the end face having the dogs on a circular chord and past the conveying drum. It can also be advantageous if the dogs are constructed as preferably cylindrical protuberances projecting axially from the end face and which are positioned on the latter concentrically to the rotation axis of the conveying drum. It is also advantageous if the dogs are positioned on material tongues constructed in the end face. The material tongues are preferably U-shaped and are connected to the end face in the conveying drum rotation direction. The material tongues are constructed in such a way that they can be reversibly bent by the height of the particular protuberance counter to the resulting bending forces towards the interior of the conveying drum.
According to a preferred development of the invention the slide has a substantially beam-like construction. Its longitudinal edge extends in the direction of the circular chord along which the slide is movable with respect to the conveying drum. The end of the slide is directed towards a dog. During an actuating process the end of the slide at least temporarily engages with a dog.
According to another advantageous development of the slide, the latter has a recess. The recess is formed on the side facing the end face of the conveying drum and extends into the vicinity of the longitudinal edge of the slide facing the dogs. The recess serves to receive the dog, which follows the dog which engages with the end of the slide during an actuation.
Preferably the stop face bounding the recess and which is oriented parallel to the end of the slide and located at the rear considered in the slide movement direction is so constructed with respect to its position regarding the terminal edge and dogs that a non-positive connection directed in the conveying direction of the conveying drum can be produced between a dog located in the receptacle and the stop face.
According to another advantageous development the recess has a ramp-like construction on the front side bounding the recess and facing the stop face when considered in the movement direction.
According to another advantageous development the reverse preventer can be at least partly formed in that on the side of the conveying drum diametrically opposite to the slide is provided a reverse preventer, whose preventing action is brought about by frictional connection between a conveying drum-side dog and a casing-fixed contact face, it being possible to pass over the latter in the conveying direction of the conveying drum.
According to an advantageous development of the invention the storage means is constructed in blister strip form, the blister strip having a plurality of storage chambers with dischargeable medium. It is advantageous if the blister strip is in the form of a drum store. The storage means has a uniformly spaced arrangement of storage chambers. Each individual storage chamber is preferably hermetically sealed. The material sealing the storage chamber is at least zonally constructed in such a way that it can be perforated by the punch.